Anti-ship missiles (ASMs) and other attacking missiles are generally fitted with radar homing systems that can actively detect and home on ships and other targets. These systems provide guidance measurements for the attacking missiles or ASMs, leveraging the targeted ship's strong radar return as well as the ship's inability to quickly maneuver to evade an attacking missile. More specifically, the attacking missile's on-board radar unit directs radar signals towards the ship, which are then reflected back to the attacking missile, providing a radar feedback of the ship's location. The guidance task on the attacking missile is relatively simple, as the ship represents a large, essentially non-moving target having a significant reflective surface which results in strong signal returns to the attacking missile.
Ship defenses against these attacking missiles depend upon their ability to timely detect the presence of an attacking missile using an organic ship radar, and subsequently initiate a defensive system to negate the detected threat. These defensive systems may include, for example, anti-air warfare (AAW) or interceptor missiles, configured to be launched and guided towards the ASM if time permits as a first line of defense. Subsequent defensive measures, such as automatic radar-guided cannon fire, may also be used.
Like the ASMs, these interceptor missiles may also be equipped with radar guidance systems to track, intercept and destroy the attacking missile. However, the interceptor missile's guidance task is generally much more difficult, as the reflective surface of the attacking missile is relatively small, and thus the resulting power of the reflected radar signals off the attacking missile is generally low. This low power reflected radar signal may result in ambiguous interceptor guidance solutions due to the sea, land, and atmospheric clutter and noise prevalent in the interceptor missile's resultant radar measurements. In addition, the ASMs are traveling at much higher rates of speed compared to the targeted ship or asset. Thus, the job of the interceptor missile's guidance system to neutralize the attacking missile is relatively difficult.
Improved or alternative defensive systems utilizing interceptor missiles against radar-guided attack missiles are desired.